About the Author

Timothy J. Gilfoyle is an acclaimed historian. His first book, City of Eros, won the prestigious Nevins Prize, awarded by the Society of American Historians. He is professor of history at Loyola University in Chicago.

Reviews

"A remarkable tale…What is surprising about the book is how much Gilfoyle cares about this small-time crook. And how much he makes us care."
*Ann Fabian - Chicago Tribune*

"An instructive and somewhat chilling depiction of life in New York's underside during the 19th century."
*Jonathan Yardley - Washington Post*

"Appo is captivating. Despite a Dickensian childhood, institutional sadism and bad luck, he remains honest, in his own way, and is rightly transformed into an American hero."
*Tara McKelvey - New York Times Book Review*

"Terrific…a fine history that makes for a riveting read."
*Peter Pavia - New York Post*

"A spectacularly detailed look at the evolution of crime (and especially punishment) in post-Civil War America."
*Whitney Pastorek - Entertainment Weekly*

"For the first time in our history, a distinguished scholar has opened up the previously undiscovered world of the common criminal in the nineteenth century. What an impressive and unforgettable story."
*Kenneth T. Jackson, Jacques Barzun Professor of History and Social Science, Columbia University*

"A remarkable tale...What is surprising about the book is how much Gilfoyle cares about this small-time crook. And how much he makes us care." -- Ann Fabian - Chicago Tribune
"An instructive and somewhat chilling depiction of life in New York's underside during the 19th century." -- Jonathan Yardley - Washington Post
"Appo is captivating. Despite a Dickensian childhood, institutional sadism and bad luck, he remains honest, in his own way, and is rightly transformed into an American hero." -- Tara McKelvey - New York Times Book Review
"Terrific...a fine history that makes for a riveting read." -- Peter Pavia - New York Post
"A spectacularly detailed look at the evolution of crime (and especially punishment) in post-Civil War America." -- Whitney Pastorek - Entertainment Weekly
"For the first time in our history, a distinguished scholar has opened up the previously undiscovered world of the common criminal in the nineteenth century. What an impressive and unforgettable story." -- Kenneth T. Jackson, Jacques Barzun Professor of History and Social Science, Columbia University

At a time when hagiographic works on such figures as Franklin and Jefferson have come back into vogue, Gilfoyle (history, Loyola Univ., Chicago;City of Eros) sheds light on an entirely different aspect of American culture through the intriguing biography of a marginalized man. His name was George Appo (1856-1930), a violence-averse conman of immigrant Chinese and Irish ancestry who spent much of his time in and out of prisons, hospitals, and mental wards. In this expertly executed and empathetic study, Gilfoyle shows how Appo's particular type of ingenuity and entrepreneurship produced a variant of success in the cracks of urbanizing and industrializing New York City, beginning each chapter with excerpts from Appo's never-before-published autobiography and then expanding on the narration of Appo's life. Rather notable in his time through his involvement with the first medical research on opium smoking and even with a brief appearance in a touring play on life in the shadows, Appo is an American natural, born on the Fourth of July and named after the first president. Gilfoyle's gripping prose, enhanced with contemporary popular illustrations, reads like fiction but is meticulously based on facts gleaned from archives and special collections. Truly like no other work; highly recommended both for serious social historians and for those who appreciate an amazing yarn.-Frederick J. Augustyn Jr., Library of Congress Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.